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Gary says.....
Your Lawn's Worst Enemy
Grub worms –
the whitish c-shaped worms found in your soil and an enemy of your
lawn.
The evidence
of damage by grubs normally appears in August and September. Spots
or patches of injured lawns may turn brown, wilt and die – even
though the lawn is receiving an abundance of water.
The grass root
zone should always be inspected for grubs if damaged areas appear.
Test your lawn by grabbing a section and pulling up. If it comes up
like a carpet, grub worms have been feasting on your lawn. You
shouldn’t have to look deep in the soil to find the offending grubs.
In
Kansas, we have two different types of grub worms. The Southern
Masked Chafer has a one-year life cycle and tends to be the more
destructive of the two, due to the great number of these insects.
The other grub is the May beetle, more commonly known as the June
bug. It has a three-year life cycle with the second year being the
most destructive.
Although lawns
can withstand a tiny population of grubs, three or more per square
foot of lawn is enough to cause concern and validate treatment.
Application
timing is important and varies depending on the product used.
Hi-Yield Grub Free Zone, containing Merit may be applied
as a preventative earlier in the year than traditional grub
products. It is the only grub control that is effective when applied
in late spring to early summer. We have found 4th of July weekend to
be a good starting date for the application of Grub Free
Zone. After applying Hi-Yield Grub Free Zone, water deeply
to get the treatment, off the leaf's and into the soil. The
effectiveness may be affected by excess moisture. If we have a wet
summer, keep an eye out for grub damage and follow up with
Hi-Yield Kill-A-Grub, which disrupts the grubs’ life cycle,
causing the insects to stop feeding. One application in their early
development, mid June to early August, will prevent damage by grubs
all season long.
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Does your tree's color look more like
a Chiquita banana than a dark green stately oak?
Not to worry,
this malady is called IRON CHLOROSIS which is a 50 cent word
meaning the iron in your soil is not available to the tree. The
varieties most affected in the Reno Count and surrounding areas
are Pin Oaks , River Birch, Maples, and sweet gum. Their is
a variety of remedy's ,from rusty nails in the ground to injecting
the tree. Our 2 most effective methods are the Medi-ject tank
injection and the Medi-ject capsule. Both methods use drilling a
hole in the tree and either placing a iron capsule of a injector
in the whole. Medi-ject capsule are a product the do-it-your-selfer
can use The Medi-ject tank is the procedure where we come out
,hang a tank of solution including iron and trace elements ,then
give the tree a 7.5 gal feeding. Its like giving your tree and
Intravenous feeding. To schedule your feeding ,or to get more info
please give us a call at Plantland 620.662.0544. Yellow is pretty
on your boat ,but not your tree!!
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Bagworms?
Bagworms are very common
among evergreen trees and shrubs. Juniper, cedar, and spruce may
be killed if fully defoliated. Less severe attacks can slow
growth. Evergreen windbreaks and low growing foundation plantings
around houses need to be checked carefully starting in late May.
Although bagworms have a
preference for evergreens, they can feed on nearly every kind of
tree, shrub and perennial. Damage is usually not serious from
attacks on deciduous plants since they grow new leaves. Leaf
feeding, however, might slow the growth of small or newly planted
trees.
In Kansas, the year’s new
bagworms usually begin to leave the protection of their mother’s
bag in late May. They immediately start feeding and spinning a
silk “coat.” At this young age they are very small and easy to
control. The first evidence of infestation is the presence of 1/4
inch bags. As larvae grow, leaf fragments are added to the bag,
which may reach a length of two inches by the end of summer.
Larvae feed until late August or early September. After that
point, spraying is not successful.
The adult female moth is
wingless and never leaves the bag. Adult males are small,
clear-winged moths that look like a wasp. Males emerge in
September and mate with females through the bag entrance. Bagworms
hide in the egg stage inside female bags fastened to twigs. During
September through May they are protected from any control except
hand picking. You may destroy bags by crushing or immersing in
soapy water. However, if bags containing larvae are discarded on
the ground, the larvae may return to the host plants.
For the most effective
control and prevention of damage, spray with
ferti•lome Borer, Bagworm, Tent
Caterpillar & Leafminer Spray
every seven to ten days
to make sure you get all the worms as they hatch since they are
easier to control while small. |
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Call us today to see what we can do for you
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Tune into the Bornholdt Plantland
show on
KWBW 1450 AM.
Would you prefer to email a question?
Email us |
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Avoid Fungus during normal Summer Lawn Care
Fertilize
warm-season grasses now with ferti-lome Winterizer. Don’t be
confused by the Name. The 25% nitrogen in Winterizer is
great to promote maximum growth and spread for Bermuda, Buffalo and
Zoysia, the way it does for fescue in the fall.
Summer weather
requires adjustments to mowing heights and watering frequency.
Recommended height for Fescue is 3 – 3.5”, Bluegrass and Rye is 2.5
– 3” and Bermuda, Buffalo and Zoysia is 1.5 – 2”.
If you mow
often enough to remove only 1/3 of the grass blades, you can mulch
instead of bag the clippings. These grass clippings will return
nutrients to the soil as they break down and also act as a mulch to
conserve moisture and cool the root zone.
Proper
watering is essential to maintain a good-looking lawn. Irrigation
needs to be done in such a way to encourage deep rooting, which in
turn makes lawns healthier. Depending on your soil type, it may
take several short waterings during one day to saturate the soil and
prevent runoff. Automatic sprinkler systems can be programmed to
put the exact amount of water where it is needed, but make sure it
soaks in and doesn't run down the gutter! We like to water in the
mornings, 4am to 9 am so the grass is dry at night to reduce
the outbreak of brown patch disease, this also reduces the amount of
evaporation from your sprinklers putting more water on the lawn and
less in the air! BE WATER-WISE!
Brown Patch disease is a fungus that normally
occurs in mid summer due to high humidity and warm temperatures.
The result is the development of unattractive patches of distressed
lawn. Apply a fungicide now. The preventative rate is half of the
curative rate so it will save your grass and some money. Use
ferti-lome Liquid Systemic Fungicide with Banner or for large
areas use ferti-lome F-Stop.
Call for more
details!
620-662-0544
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